Recording-compass.



B. W. BENBOW.

RECORDING COMPASS. APPLICATION man luLY 20. |916.

JANE! B. W. BENBOW.

RECORDING COMPASS. APPLICATION FILED luLY 20.1916.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

b Y @WMM/01 B. W. BENBOW.

RECORDING COMPASS. APPLICATION FILED :uw zo. 191e.

1,21 6,201 Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

v 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3. Zavl/Zow (1h20/Lump BURTIS WILLIAM BENBOW. OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIAn RECORDING-COMPASS.

Application med Ju'iy 2o, 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BUR'ris WILLIAM BnNBoW, a citizen of the United States,l residing at Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Recording-Compasses; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en-y able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to recording compasses of the type disclosed in my co-pending U. S. patent application, Serial No. 96,899, filed May 11, 1916.

The object of the invention is to improve upon the construction shown in the application referred to, to such an extent as to greatly simplify the device without in any manner decreasing the eiciency thereof.

lVith this general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved compass withV the needle thereof in its normal raised position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the needle lowered for recording upon a dial;

Figs. 3 and 4 are' horizontal sectional views taken on the planes of the lines 3 3 and 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the operating member reversed; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the operating member.

In specifically describing the structure shown in the drawings above briefly described, similar characters will be employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and reference will be herein made to the numerous elementsby their respective indices. To this end, the numerals 1 and 2 designate upper and lower sections of a comparatively flat cylindrical casing 3, these sections being detachably connected in any suitable manner such as by bayonet slots 4 and pins 5. The lower section 2 is provided with a top 6 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Serial No. 110,361.

serves as a partition to divide the casing into upper and lower compartments, while the upper section 1 is equipped with a transparent cover 7 preferably of glass.

The center of the top or partition 6 is provided with an upright bearing 8 in which a vertically disposed staff or shaft 9 is rotatably and slidably mounted, the upper end of said shaft being pointed at l0 for engagement without friction with a jewel bearing 11 carried by the upper end of a sleeve 12 which surrounds said shaft in spaced relation thereto. The sleeve 12 rises from the center of a magnetic compass needle 13 whose two halves are slotted longitudinally as shown at 14.

Slides 15 are mounted in the slots 14 and provided with openings through which worms or screws 16 are threaded, said worms being rotatably mounted in any suitable manner and being housed within the slots as shown. One slide 15 carries a marking device 17 which is adapted to record certain data upon a dial 18 clamped between the two sections 1 and 2 and resting on the partition 6. The other slide 15 carries a counterbalance 19 and by means of `its worm 16, this counterbalance will be moved inwardly oroutwardly along the needle according to the manner in which the marking device 17 is shifted, said marking device being intermittently moved along the needle to place a. record on the dial, the entire needle being moved downwardly at yspaced intervals to permit this to take place.

One of the worms 16 has secured at its inner end a combined spur and beveled gear 20, while the other is equipped with a spur gear 21, the two gears being operatively connected by means of a short shaft 22 rotatably mounted within the sleeve 12 and equipped with pinions 23. The beveled'portion of gear 20 is adapted for cooperation with a beveled gear 24 secured on the staff 9, this stati' being successively lowered and rotated. The result of this operation is that the gear 24 will drive the gear 2O and the latter will in turn rotate the gear 21, through the instrumentality of the shaft 22 and pinions 23. This will move both slides 15 along the needle toward the center or ends thereof according to the direction in which the staff is rotated. Downward movement of said staff permits the entire needle 13 to rest upon the counterbalance 19 and the marking device 17, and it will thus be evident that as the slides are moved, said device 17 will place a recording mark upon the dial 18. The lower end of the staff 9, which end is disposed beneath the partition 6, carries a pinion 25 and rests on an operating member 26, said member being in the form of a horizontal disk having on its upper side a plurality of arcuate inclined cams 27 which are adapted to successively raise and permit lowering of the staff 9 as said member 26 is slowly rotated by means to be described. The upper end of each cam 27 is formed with a notch 28 opening onto the lower end of the nent cam, and projecting into the opposed sides of `hese notches are teeth 29 and 3G. is the member 26 rotates its numerous cams 27 will successively raise the stail 9 and it will then permit lowering thereof, since the pinion 25 will drop into the notches 28 at the upper ends of said cams. As the member 26 now continues to rotate, one or the other of the teeth 29 and 30 will engage the teeth of said pinion and will thus turn it a fraction of a revolution while the staff is in its lowered position. Since the gear 2li is now in mesh with the beveled part of gear 20, rotation of the staif by the pinion 25 will drive said gear 2O to produce the results above described; namely, moving both slides 15 along the needle.

The operating member 26 is mounted upon a vertical shaft 31 which at the point 32 is rotatably supported upon the bottom of the casing section 2 in such a manner as to permit said shaft to tilt to a slight extent. rlhe upper end of shaft 31 is .similarly mounted within a bearing 33 on the inner end of a reversing lver Sil which extends through a slot in the casing section 2, said lever being fulcrumed near its inner end as indicated at 35. Vilhen the lever 34- is moved in one direction, the operating member 26 will be in position to cause its outermost ser'es of teeth 29 to engage the pinion 25, thus rotating said pinion in one direction, but when said lever is swung to an opposed position, the member 26 will be so shifted as to cause the inner teeth 3() to coperate with the pinion, and thus the latter will be rotated in the reverse direction. The shaft 31 may be driven in any preferred manner from a common type of horologe 36 mounted in the lowerI section 2 of the casing 8, but for illustrative purposes, a gear 37 is shown meshing with a pinion 36 on said shal't, said gear 37 being driven at the required speed and in anj.7 suitable manner from the horologe 86.

A resilient slide bar 39 is mounted in a bracket -10 which depends from the partition 6 and at its outer end is provided with a linger piece 4:1 by means of which it may be shifted longitudinally. rlhe inner end of the bar 39 is bifurcated at l2 and straddles 'in-lacci the stad 9 in contact with the upper end of the pinion 25, the resiliency of said bar serving to force said pinion downwardly when the notches 28 are encountered. The bar 39 is depressed as shown at 48 between its inner end and the bracket e0, and when said bar is pulled outwardly by means cf its finger piece a1, the portion e3 will serve as a cam to raise tl c bifurcated inner end 42, thus relieving it from engagement with the pinion 25 and moving said end outwardly to such an ext-ent as to permit said pinion to move upwardly through the bearing S when the two sections of the casing 3 are disconnected.

in use, a dial such for instance as that shown in my co-pending application above referred to will be clamped between the upper and lower sections of the casing 3 in contact with the partition 6, and the worms 16 will be turned manually to set the marking device 17 at the time on which the voyage or journey is to begin. Said worms may be turned by application of a key'or the like to the squared end @i of one of said worms, and the correct position of the marking device 17 will be ascertained by the time scale Ll5 on one side of the needle 13. is the voyage or journey now proceeds, the needle 13 will be successively lowered to bring the marking device 17 into contact with the dial 18, and when this takes place said marking device as well as its counterbalance 19 may move along the needle in one direction. rlhe device 17 thus marks the dial at predetermined intervals, the location of these marks varying according to the amount in which the body carrying the device turns toward diilerent points of the compass. 1t will thus be obvious that the course taken will be accurately plotted on the dial 18.

"When retracing a course made in the manner just described, the dial 18 will be reversed by disconnecting and reversing t1 e two sections of the casing 8. The indicator 17 will then, at the beginning of the return trip, be disposed on the mark last made, and the lever 34 will be reversed to cause the operating mechanism of the device 17 to move out in the opposite direction.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be observed that the device is much more simple than that shown in my co-pending application, and yet that it will be equally as eilicient. lt will be understood that by driving' the operating member 26 at a greater or less speed, or by providing said member with more or less cams 2 the number of marks made per hour may be varied, the arrangement being preferably such as to cause said device to place sixty lines per.

hour on the chart.

In the accompanying drawings l have shown a number of specific details of construction for illustrative purposes, and in the foregoing these details have been described, but it is to be understood that wit-hin the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous changes may be made without sacrificing the principal advantages thereof.

I claim:

l. In a recording compass, the combination of a dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a stall' upon which said needle is mounted, a movable member having means which serves alternately to permit the stati to lower and to then return said staff to its normal position, said staff resting on said member and a marking device carried by the needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered.

2. In a recording compass, the combination of a dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a staff upon which said needle is mounted, a movable member having means which serves alternately to permit zhe staff to lower and to then return said staff to its normal position, a marking device carried by the needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered, means operable upon rotation of the staff for moving said marking device along the needle, and coacting means on said staff and movable member for rotating the former when lowered.

8. In a recording compass, the combination of a. dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a stall upon which said needle is mounted, a movable member having means which serves alternately to permit the staff vto lower and to then return said staff to its normal position, a marking device carried by the needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered, means operable upon rotation of the stati' for moving said marking device along the needle, a pinion on said staii", and one or more driving teeth on said movable member for engagement with'said pinion to rotate the staff when lowered.

4. In a recording compass, the combination of a dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a staff upon which said needle is mounted, a movable member having means which serves alternately to permit the staff to lower and to then return said stati to its normal position, a marking device carried by the needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered, means operable upon rotation of the staff for moving said marking device along the needle, a pinion on said staff, means on the movable member for rotating said pinion in either direction when the staff is lowered, and means for shifting said member to throw either rotating means into operation.

5. In a recording compass, the combination of a dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a stati upon which said needle is mounted, a rotary member mounted on a vertical axis and having means which serves to raise the staff at intervals and to then release said. statil to permit it to lower, a marking device carried by said needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered, means operable upon rotation of the staff for moving said marking device along the needle, and coacting means on the staff and rotary member for rotating said staff when lowered.

6. In a recording compass, the combination of a dial, a compass needle movable over said dial, a stati upon which said needle is mounted, a rotary member mounted on a vertical aXis and having an inclined cam which serves to raise the staff at intervals and to then release said staff to permit it to lower, a marking device carried by said needle to be brought into contact with the dial when said needle is lowered, means operable upon rotation of the staff for moving said marking device along the needle, a pinion on the lower end of the staff, an inner and an outer tooth at the rear end of the cam to engag'e said pinion as the staff drops from the cam, and means for shifting the rotary member transversely of its axis to permit either the inner or the outer tooth to engage the pinion to drive it in either direction.

7. A recording compass comprising a dial,

a compass needle which alternately movesdownwardly toward and upwardly from said dial, said needle being supported between its ends, a `marking device on one end of said needle for recording on the dial when said needle lowers, and a counterbalance on the other end of said needle; in combination with a pair of screws for simultaneously moving said marking device and counterbalance along the needle, and means for rotating said screws when the needle is lowered.

8. A recording compass comprising a dial, a. compass needle above said dial, a staff upon which said needle is supported between its ends, a marking device on one end of the needle and a counterbalance on the other end thereof; in combination with a pair or worms for moving said marking device and counter-balance simultaneously along the needle, gear means for driving said worms from the` stati' when the latter is rotated, and means for intermittently permitting said stati' to lower, said means including means for rotating said staff when the latter is lowered.

9. A recording compass comprising a dial, a compass needle above said dial, a staff upon which said needle is supported between its ends, a marking device on one end of the needle and a counterbalance on the other end thereof; in combination with a pair of Worms for moving said marking device and oounterloalance simultaneously along the needle, gear means for driving said Worms from the staff When the latter ie rotated, a disk below said stad3 and mounted for rotation on a vertical axis, mea-ns for rotating said disk, a plurality of Came on said disk tor alternately permitting the stail to lower and then returning said sta to its normal position, a pinion on the lower end of said etait, and teeth adjacent the upper ends of the cams for engagement With said pinion as the staff drops from Said cams, whereby rotation of the disk Will partly rotate the sta.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

BURTIS VVILLAM BENBUW. lVitnesses:

W. ERNEST DICKSON, N. M. DICKSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Entente Washington, D. C. 

